front wheel drive dirt track racing tips
No speeding, no passing, no bumping; just drive around. So the car feels looser. All forward and reverse gears must be operational. I would use a 1997 car and engine, install pistons from a 1998 2.2, to raise the compression ratio, OR have a 1998 2.2 and install the 1997 head and intake,,, either one will raise your compression ratio! SUSPENSION AND STEERING: All components and mounts must be unaltered, OEM and match year, make and model of car used. It is also a good idea to change the oil and filter in the transmission. Call 800.979.0122, 7am-10pm, everyday. For Springport, you can install the commonly available 1.06 transfer gears and run fast. P5007314 Hub and Bearing Kit (199599 Neon ACR). This is how you adjust the camber and toe in the rear on the Mopar cars. A top Neon team can help with their setup here. A few weeks ago I caught up with Canadian pro driver and BFGoodrich Performance Team Member Andrew Comrie-Picard, who has all those titles I just mentioned and has spent a lot of time teaching drivers to be fast with front-wheel drive cars. Details. As the track dries out and slicks up, adding a little rebound to the front shocks will help hold the front end down after Long uses the brakes before entering the turn. Done correctly, this weight transfer has the added benefit of taking weight entirely off the inside rear tire, resulting in the classic three-wheel, peeing dog cornering stance that front-wheel drive cars are so well known for. Quick release steering wheel is allowed, must maintain OEM column. So. In fact, I just spent about 400 miles on the track with the Fiesta ST, GTI, and Type-R, Golf R, WRX STI, Civic Si, and all of those street cars, except for the Type-R, would go to limp mode. Keep the air pressure high. This modification was OK'd a few years ago and hasn't been disallowed as of yet. RCI and G force make some really good belt systems that are reasonably priced. Answered above. We keep the low CG (mount the weight low in the car) to reduce weight transfer to the right side to help maintain left-side weight in the turns. Heres what ACP has to say about how to drive the shit out of our FWD car: (Full disclosure: The following are ACPs statements as he ran through them with me over the phone. Mostly because, AWD cars, despite what they tell you about their symmetrical drive layout or whatever else, fundamentally drive like FWD cars. Thatll improve the handling characteristics of any car, but especially for front-wheel drive. You're essentially shortening a leg of a table(outside front) and lengthening another (inside front). From then on, unless it is watered again, the track will begin to dry out and go through several phases of moisture content. Eckert: Normally, dirt race tracks always gets slicker, so you are usually working to tighten your car up. Performance Chips and PCMs for most cars,,,if you do not find what you want call the companys and they will make what you need ,,,, http://www.venom-performance.com/nf/html/v400.cfm, http://www.performancecenter.com/product/C%26+Programmers, Thanks tricknology - That is some really great information -, (but you were only supposed to send it to me ). In fact, for most of you the entire reason you are racing is the chance to get behind the wheel and let it all hang out. BRAKES: Must be steel, unaltered, OEM operative, four wheel disc or drum brakes, and match year, make and model of car used. If your toes point away from each other then you are toed out. Increase the rear steer by changing the angles of the left trailing arm. Smog pump, catalytic converter and air conditioning compressor may be removed. SFI-approved full fire suit required. DOOR BARS: Minimum three horizontal door bars on driver side and two horizontal door bars on passenger side. More rebound shifts. Raise the Panhard bar by 1 inch to 13 inches left and 9 inches right. this is a site for you to sell your Front wheel drive racecars and only front wheel drive racecars and parts tires ETC. > When weighing the car where you can read the weight of each wheel,,. OEM bumper covers must remain. Same as lots of cars. No more than 5 degrees camber on any wheel. Engine (1995 Neon SOHC). In a front wheel drive car most of them are running 2deg out on the left front 7deg in on the right front 1.5 In on the right rear 0 on the left rear. Karts. Towards the left front but behind the LF wheel and down as low as possible. At Circle Track we are all about helping racers find success on the race track. I wouldn'twant anything that tail happy on a road course as it does change directions rapidly. Eckert: Once you get racing there is not a lot you can do. OEM master cylinder only, in OEM location. No racing, mud or snow tires. Manual transmission vehicles only. DEALS. Keep the all-terrain tires and lower the pressures a bit. But generally, you want to get as much negative camber in the RF as you can. The tires can be changed to more of a street performance tread with slightly lower pressures. and instal a racing chip in the computor, and run 2% Nitro in the fuel. Evo is a little different, and STI is a little different, but they all fundamentally drive like FWD.. One spring rubber allowed in each spring. But in the Crate cars the corners just don't come at you as quick, so you've got more time to think and maneuver. And thats one of the things that left-foot braking and a good brake modulation and good control of weight transfer does.. All four tires and wheels must be the same series, size and offset. Frank: When it is slippery, if you are on the brakes too hard or on the gas too hard, all you are doing is sliding the car. We might want to anticipate the dry and slicker conditions coming now for lack of time later. You've just got to drive it and hang on. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Late Model (LM): A similar situation would apply to the LM car. That is probably why rear steer (left tire forward) is sometimes so helpful. Lower pressure on the left side will provide a lateral force that counters the centrifugal force that is trying to take the car up to the wall. Rear toe is one of the most powerful alignment tools used to loosen up stubborn front-wheel drive race cars. If you do get a tire that is glazed over, you just do what you can. I'll mention what can be done with the Shadow/Sundance/Daytona type cars. More importantly, it increases spring rate at the point of contact with the road. We will need to change to tires that are harder, with less gap and more surface rubber. SAFETY EQUIPMENT: Rules apply at all times car is on the race track. ACP: Draw a circle, and imagine how force vectors go: put a dot in the middle of the circle, and you get to put a certain amount of force forward or backward before you go out the edge of the circle. I am switching to a Toyota for 2007 (or possibly 2008 as the car is still not done yet.) Kill switch required within easy reach of driver and must be clearly marked OFF and ON. Well, actually, I run (ran) a Honda CRX for the past 2 1/2 years. More camber is not always better. Photography Credit: photosbyjuha.com. It must be clearly visible and unaltered in any way. On a dialup connection, it might take 3 minutes or more before the page finishes loading entirely. If the steering wheel is straight ahead, you can travel the throttle pedal all the way to the ground. Pumping up the rear rubber and hitting the front tires with more negative camber can boost your cars cornering abilities, but dont forget to modify that variable in the drivers seat. Bending the tube will result in a better fit, but buying a kit is sometimes cheaper. 7,800 rpm rev limit. Must be securely mounted using 0.375-inch bolts. Setup-wise, the tendency is to tighten your race car up. Look down at your feet. For stiffer suspension springs and stiffer swaybars and Torque Sensing Differentials,,. 17. No ignition boxes. SPRINGS/SHOCKS/STRUTS: All shocks and struts must remain OEM, in OEM location. The RR spring should change to a 200-pound (rated) spring or pull one rubber out. With the poor weather conditions forecasted for Saturday 4/29/23 Plymouth Dirt Track has decided that it is in their best interested along with ours to cancel the event scheduled for Saturday 4/29/23. Be sure to buy a seat that fits snug and holds you well. Theyre front-heavy, the front tires tend to get over-taxed because youre asking them to do two things at once. This is where you need to check the tires after you run and move the camber and toe until the tires are the same temperature all the way across. For Tech info on the 2.2 2 valve OHV engine GM Chevy Cavalier and Pont. Gear diffs, however, have one shortcoming: If the inside wheel completely loses contact with the track surface, a gear diff will behave similarly to an open diff and send more power to the unloaded wheel. This can vary due to car and driver preferences. Because suddenly youve unlocked more traction. 6-8 degrees of negative camber generally works well in the RF. Inner fenders may not be removed. BATTERY/STARTER: One 12-volt battery only. This kit upgrades standard hubs and bearings to service Neon ACRs. To run a single setup throughout the day is not going to get the job done in this day and age. Front end has big bearings, New gauges, Quick change rear, 4 new shocks and . Share your tips and tricks on how to get your car fast! Pobst begins by going over the differences between rear-, front-, and all-wheel drive. A little work here will pay off really well. We could continue to move weight up and to the right in the car to raise the CG about 1 inch and further decrease the left-side weight percentage. In the rear, the camber is adjusted with shims. Of course, every type of vehicle is different, but to remove the suspension slop/looseness overall is desirable! No transmission coolers in driver compartment. Evening up the front springs will help the car turn, and softening the RR spring, lowering the moment center, and raising the CG will provide better bite as the track dries out. McDowell is currently both an active driver as well as running his own driving school, where he spends a lot of time helping young racers to find more success from the driver's seat. With camber in it allows the tire to stay in contact with the road surface longer and turn the car better. Pictured is a complete PROTHANE performance urethane suspension bushing kit for a Honda Civic (on the left) and their stiffer than stock rubber rear sway bar bushings (on the right). You want to shoot for about 2/3 of the car's total weight to be on the front axle. My hopes are to share some of my experiences to save folks in our Mopar family some time and effort, at least give a baseline from where to start. These Mopar Performance Coil Springs will add a new dimension to your cars handling and performance. What else happens when the body rolls more? Hobby Stock (HS): We might run a stiffer right-front (RF) spring and a stiffer right-rear (RR) spring. No cool cans. These are used for adjusting the camber on the front. I'll bet he is a three wheeler and complains about the "push".. Wow! The most difficult tracks are the ones in which the type of dirt or clay needs a lot of moisture in order for the track crew to be able to groom the track. If you are turning left all the time you should tip the RF tire in at the top. These emissions exempt (D-265-18) Engine Controllers are a direct replacement and will increase horsepower and torque without affecting drivability. But in terms of street cars, trying to drive it fast, youre going to be relying (mostly) on two things: A really good tire, and really good OEM electronics. All of the action happens up front. Im going to slant my advice more toward stock, production front-wheel drive cars than specialized, highly modified front-wheel drive race cars (last-gen WC, WTCC, BTCC, etc.). I want to say I've heard that before, but for some reason the way you said it just clicked with me. All-wheel drive is an increasingly common feature on cars today, from grocery-fetching Subaru. I'm unsure of his class but he did have different springs on his car other than stock. Racers of all classes are getting smarter by the year, and getting to the front is a matter of staying on top of the most current technology. Change all the fluids; drain the antifreeze replace with water. to the fact that my car gets around the track faster thanks to Nick Holt. On a track that has good moisture and is smooth, the car will be easy to control going through the turns and the speeds will be high. Roll bar padding required in driver compartment (Fire retardant recommended). Does not include seat, seat belts, or battery. Renegades, Pro 4, Thunder Bombers, Front Wheel Drive, Blue Ridge Outlaw Late Models, Next Generation Kids Series, Pure Stock V8. You might also have to grind a little off the steering knuckle to allow it to tilt more towards the strut. Civic, D15B2 1.5 16VSOHC PGM-FI 1493 92hp@6000rpm 89tq@4500rpm 88-91 Civic DX/LX, D15B6 1.5 8V SOHC PGM-FI 1493 62hp@4500rpm 83tq@3000rpm 88-89 Civic/CRX HF, D15B6 1.5 8V SOHC PGM-FI 1493 70hp@4500rpm 83tq@3000rpm 90-91 Civic/CRX HF, D15B7 1.5 16VSOHC PGM-FI 1493 102hp@5900rpm 98tq@5000rpm 92-95 Civic DX/LX, D15B8 1.5 8V SOHC PGM-FI 1493 70hp@4500rpm 83tq@3000rpm 92-95 Civic CX, D15Z1 1.5 16VSOHC VTEC-E PGM-FI 1493 92hp@5500rpm 97tq@4500rpm 92-95 Civic VX, D16A6 1.6 16VSOHC PGM-FI 1590 108hp@6000rpm 100tq@5000rpm 88-91 Civic/CRX Si, D16A8/9 1.6 16VDOHC PGM-FI 1595 137hp@6800rpm 108tq@5700rpm 88-91 Civic/CRX/Integra LS, D16Y5 1.6 16VSOHC VTEC-E PGM-FI 1590 115hp@6200rpm 104tq@5400rpm 96-00 Civic HX, D16Y7 1.6 16VSOHC PGM-FI 1590 106hp@6200rpm 103tq@4600rpm 96-00 Civic CX/DX/LX, D16Y8 1.6 16VSOHC VTECII PGM-FI 1590 127hp@6600rpm 107tq@5500rpm 96-00 Civic EX (USA), D16Z6 1.6 16VSOHC VTEC PGM-FI 1590 125hp@6600rpm 106tq@5200rpm 92-95 Civic EX/Si/Del Sol, D17A1 1.7 16VSOHC PGM-FI 1668 115hp@6100rpm 110tq@4500rpm 01-02 Civic DX/LX, D17A2 1.7 16VSOHC VTECII PGM-FI 1668 127hp@6300rpm 114tq@4800rpm 01-02 Civic EX. Now, to make an enthusiasts competition vehicle more able to maintain your desired competition alignment settings you need to solve that with performance suspension bushings. Dear Honda Experts and including Mr. Holt. No iron, galvanized pipe or fittings, square tubing, brazing or soldering allowed. You've got to roll onto the throttle like you've got egg shells between your foot and the throttle pedal. This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies. And thats because youre still having that same challenge of how to handle the friction circle on the front tires., ACP: Thats why guys who come from FWD rally cars as I did, I started in a Russian Lada, then I transitioned to AWD like the Evos have an easier time getting up to speed. All engine components must be OEM unaltered for year, make and model of car used. street or racing tires? The front wheels do everything, turning, braking, and accelerating whilst the majority of the car's weight is over the front wheels. The racing line is the route a racing driver follows to take corners in the fastest possible way. A FWD oval track race car, like most other oval track or road racing cars, should be as near 50%-50% front-to-rear weight distribution as possible. So steering wheel angle, and lateral Gs, which it measures, will determine which of the front brakes to apply, in little amounts, in order to get you around a corner.. You have to run some amount of caster and like most setups it's about finding the optimal amount. Almost always, that means bringing you information about how to build a better--and safer--race car and set it up for best performance. ACR hubs and bearings should be replaced after 12 on track hours. Raise the moveable weight up and to the right side as much as possible for a 50-50 percent side-to-side weight distribution. Sometimes you can try to drag your brakes a little bit to help keep your car underneath you in the corner, but really, there's not a lot you can do from the cockpit. Suddenly, youre asking the front tires to not only take the lateral loads but to pull you forward. It's just the way God intended it. The goal is to try to keep the car loaded so it doesn't get free. As little as 1/16-inch toe out in the rear can get the rear end of your car looking to pass the front at every opportunity. Opinions will vary on these topics. Others are far more involved and only make sense for dedicated race cars. http://www.mopartsracing.com/parts/neon.html. Decrease the air pressure all around for more footprint area, and groove the tires for the most side bite with more grooves and a limited number of siping cuts. One of the Hot shoes from the Thunders (who kicked but on both dirt and asphalt) will be joining us this year. It looks like for 2007, the IMCA sport compact rules are WIDE OPEN to ANY FWD 4 cyl car!! We will now soften the LF spring to a 750, the RF spring to a 650, the RR spring to a 150, and move all of the moveable weight to the right side and higher up. Any more than that 20 percent, and the tire will go over its maximum available grip and lose traction, with the result being the dreaded power-on push that front-wheel drive cars are infamous for. That's what Randy Pobst talks about on the latest episode of "The Racing Line. Slightly increased Ackermann and small amounts of rear steer (LR tire coming forward) will help the car turn through the middle. The car should enter, go through the middle, and come off the corners going straight ahead and balanced in the overall setup. Buy a good fire suit and a "S" Rated Helmet and Go Racing. will not be allowed to compete. Ok so now you picked out a car. The weight distribution is pretty much the same at both ends. Metal firewall must be between driver and cell. It's good to get tips from other guys and see what they do, but to mimic their setup and think you are going to have the same results can often be a mistake. By using all of the available space on the track, cars can travel in a straighter line and travel faster before reaching the limits of grip. If you can learn to pilot a FWD car fast, you can drive anything. Be sure to check your toe often and learn to adjust it. OEM steel unaltered floor pan only. LM: These conditions are the fastest you will encounter. Copyright 2007 IMCA All rights reserved. must remain in the OEM location. If the rear is loose enough to corner well, it is generally too loose for best time in transitions. The front springs will always be the stiffest. LF = 350; RF = 325; LR = 200 (350 pounds swing arm); RR = 175 (325 pounds swing arm). We will be back in action on 5/6/23 at Wilmot Raceway for the series and track season opener!! Small gains in mechanical grip can provide substantial gains in lap times). We will take more air out of the tires, but not enough to cause them to roll over. Let's use two of the most popular types of dirt car-a touring Late Model and a metric-style Hobby Stock car. Note: Negative is when the top of the tire is tilted inward. FYI, I run 4.25 deg negative camber in the front and 2.25 negative camber in the rear. AND now that you just gave him all of that information, he will have no excuse not too!! to all members of the Texas Speedzone, you guys are very smart. This arrangement is extremely popular in modern vehicles for a number of reasons, including: Smaller drivetrain: Instead of the engine, transmission, and differential running from the . You will need to keep a lot of information on your tires. Work with your cars electronics, not against them, Make the most of where your cars weight is, Expect your FWD skills to translate to AWD cars. But Perhaps we are compairing apples to pears here, and that might explain the different chassis setups. Any moveable weight would be mounted low and left in the car. Time is a factor and we want to make positive changes that can be accomplished in a short period of time. Those conversations were so enlightening that we decided to keep going. do not allow excessive lightening of the chassis/body,,like your class does. In a front wheel drive car most of them are running 2deg out on the left front 7deg in on the right front 1.5 In on the right rear 0 on the left rear. With the rare 1.22 gears, you can run a little faster, but not much. If we had nothing to learn, we may as well go golfing-not. 2. I am only familiar with how to change the camber on the Mopar cars. There will be less grip, but not to the point of going overly soft on the springs or introducing great amounts of rear steer to turn the car. We will make some changes to the previous spring setup. P5007003 High Rate Autocross Coil Springs-Front, 225 lbs./In., 1" Lower Ride Height (199599 Neon), P5007004 Extra-High Rate Autocross Coil Springs-Front, 310 lbs./In., 1" Lower Ride Height (199599 Neon), P5007005 High Rate Autocross Coil Springs-Rear, 185 lbs./In., 1" Lower Ride Height (199599 Neon), P5007006 Extra-High Rate Autocross Coil Springs-Rear, 230 lbs./In; 1" Lower Ride Height (199599 Neon). It doesn't make a great deal of difference which side you adjust as long as it's only a minor change. Draw an arrow, from the dot in the center, toward the edge of the circle, and you get that line is a consistent length. these cars Are NOT allowed Locked or posi-traction final drives, Max tire size 195- 70 or 75 series, and must have Stock engines and suspensions.,,,tyhey run on 1/4 and 3/8 asphalt tracks Mr. Holt, what is your baseline setup with a FWD car? But you have to be careful because tracks that looks dry/slick aren't all the same. Now if you head up North and go someplace like Learnerville, that's a track that can get slick! Zero rear steer is essential now because our dirt car will handle much like an asphalt car. Driver touch is most important in maintaining momentum). Looked like fun and super cheap to do. do not allow locked final dirves ,,like your class does. We could raise the rear ride height an inch or so to be ready if the track begins to dry out some and affect bite off the corner. There are several adjustments that can be made to assist in loosening up a front-wheel drive car and countering the terminal understeer they commonly exhibit. On the flipside, if you remove too much front wheel rate, you can have issues with body roll to the point where you lose contact patch due to the camber changeresulting in less front traction rather than more. Kit includes 1 hub and 1 bearing. Tires are the most important part of any car! For my fwd street stud tire class ice racers I've morphed into adding castor and leaving the camber stock. Because youre asking it to steer and take a lateral load, at the same time, youre asking it to pull you forward and accelerate, or brake, you very quickly, get to the edge of that tires abilities. With enough rear toe, front-wheel drive race cars will get extremely loose, which will bring a smile to the face of any experienced front-wheel drive pilot. ENGINE COMPARTMENT: Engine and radiator must be OEM, in OEM location for year, make and model of car used. Ever since this class was started, many of the faster teams have been looking for ways to stiffen the axle itself. Be sure to check and see what's legal. > What are typical Toe setting settings for the front and rear? In fact, we set them up to have less. FWD cars. There's not much you can do for it then, and the traction that you have is all that you're going to get. The one significant drawback to the loose rear is during rapid transitions (slalom) as local club course designers seem to really like them. This can vary a little depending on the car and the tires being used, plus the driver preferences. His was setup so most pressure was on the driver side of the vehicle and the lesser pressure on the passenger side, this was to help pitch it. Look for some grit; just aim for places where it's not really shiny. Or, the softer the front sway bar needs to be. CT: How hard is it to make the switch from Crate Late Models to Supers? The first is that the car is rotating enough that it should be better pointed down the next straightaway, allowing us to open up the steering wheel and decrease the amount of grip the tires need to steer the car and allow more to be used for acceleration. In a nutshell, you could more easily sense the limits of the car with less caster, so while more caster might in theory give you more grip, the point at which traction is exceeded is different than where you feel feedback in the wheel or some such. This is where car setup comes into play. FUEL SYSTEM: Must have complete, unaltered, OEM fuel system for year, make and model of car used. I don't think enough people think for themselves to actually test and find out (and it certainly is a pain to do, so I understand it). Cage must be electric welded. There is only one way to stop a severe pushy or loose car, and that is to lift off the throttle. Here in the Midwest many tracks and the IMCA have created Pure stock classes based on the 4 cyl FWD sedans that are plentiful and cheap. A typical setup might be: LF = 350; RF = 375; LR = 175 (325 pounds swing arm), RR = 225 (400 swing arm); 56 percent left-side weight; Panhard bar at 11 inches left and 12 inches right; and no front Ackermann with zero rear steer. Every time you get to the track check your air pressure before every race and every practice. The RF = 350; RR = 200; LR = 200 (375 pounds swing arm). 3. I've auto-crossed FWD for decades and the most SOTP effect with more (positive) caster is steering feel as it relates to the self-centering effect, if both sides are equal. Check back here often for more tips and advice for . In addition, too much pressure can result in making the tire too stiff and unpredictable (snap loose), so make small increases in pressure until you find that sweet spot that works well for your car. These are exceptions and won't be addressed here.
